Lock-nut.



E. E. MAHER.

LOCK NUT.

A P P L I G A T I O N F I L E D 0 C T l l 9 1 2.

1 1 20,958, Patented Deo. 15, 1914.

requires' sub nut having a like EUGENE E MAKER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

.ASSIGNOR TO K NT CO., 0F CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

LOCK-NUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led October 1,

Toall whom t may concern Be it known that I, EUGENE E. MAHER, 'ai citizen of the United States, and a residentof Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lock-Nuts, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates generally to nuts and has particular reference to nuts adapted to beglocked in place upon bolts and other threade members.

`The general object of my invention is to provide annefficient one-piece lock nut of simpleconstruction which can be manufactured at low cost, and which can be easily applied.

` A further object of my invention is to provide `a self locking nut o f substantially the same dimensions as likesize non-locking nuts, which will'act automatically to lock itself against unintentional Yor undesirable rotation upon a bolt by engagement with a loa surface, and which will maintainltself in locked position even irrespective of continued'engagementwith the load surface.

My invention consists generally in a self- ]ocking nut of such form, arrangementlof the portions, and distribution of the metal ais rwill accomplish the aforementioned -objects and other-objects to appear hereinafter. Mg inventionwill be more readily understo' by reference to the accompanying drawin s which` illustrate the' referred form o my invention; and in whic Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lock nut embodyingmy invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section throughv the nut `in the process of manufacture; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional v iew illustrating a vfurther step' in the process of manufacture; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the completely formed nut; and Fig.V 5 is a sectional view illustrating my unique lock nut in engagement with a load surface and locked in position upon' a bolt.

From my intimate acquaintance with the requirements of lock nuts both from the manufacturing standpoint and the locking standpoint, I have been able to devise a lock nut which is at once cheap to manufacture and efiicient in locking capacity; which can be' applied easily and quickly, and' which stantially no more bolt llength thanl 1s required for an ordinary standard number of threads. I

hole 2.

Patented Deo. 15, 1914. 1912. Serial No. 723,311.

shall now describe in detail my improved tures. y f

In the drawings l represents a nut body i which maybe shear-ed from a bar and if desired simultaneously provided with a bolt I have depicted a square nut, but it should be understood that I may make my nut of any other desired out configuration. In Fig. 2 I have indicated my nut after it is severed from a bar and provided with a bolt hole. In the formation of the bolt hole a crown 3 is usually formed. This end of the nut is therefore unlevel and does not form a good frictional Contact with a load surface. For this reason the crown is always considered as the top of the nut and almost any person in applying a nut unconsciously starts it on from the end opposite to the crown. In order'that my nut may retain as many of the features ofs a standard commercial nut as possible, I prefer to retain the crown to designate the top of the nut and to form the locking portion of rmy nut in the opposite end. t

In Fig. Bof the drawing I have'shown the locking portion in the process of forming..`y lI strike up from the central portion of the nut two oppositely disposed wings 4 4' These wings a're preferably slightly shorter than th'e diameter of the bolt hole. In striking up thejwings 4-4 I preferably use a tool which will remove but little metal, and will separateJ the wing from the body of the nut by wedge-like recesses 5, 5. After thel formation of the wings 4, 4, I thread the nut (as best shown in Fig. 4). The body of the nut now 4contains a number of regularly formed threads and the wing members each contain a portion of regularly formed threads.V My nut can Abe locked in place upon the bolt orl other threaded member by depressing or reforming'the wings 4 to subs anti'ally the position they occupied before severance, that is, to the position indicated the dotted lines in Fig. 2. In screwing the mit on a bolt .the wings 4 first contact the load surface 61and then as the nut is advanced on the bolt, the wingsvare depressed farther ,and nall take substantially the position'shown' in ig.5. In this position the threadsv of the locking wings 4 are forced into great frictional contact with the coni tiguous bolt threads and the nut is thereby held `against unintentional and undesired rotation upon the bolt. My nut forms a perfect wrench lit and being perfectly threaded from face to face can be started on just as easily as an ordinary nut, that is, until the locking wings engage the load surface. To advance the nut farther considerable force. is required, but this advancement can be quickly accomplished since it need move only a short distance. The resetting of the locking wings slightly distorts the bolt threads, in proportion to the separation of the wings from the nut body, but in no event do they so threads that the nut cannot be removed and both the nut and bolt used again.

I have shown in Fig. 5 my nut locked in position upon a bolt with the locking wings engaging the load surface 6. In certain classes of work it is desirable to provide a lock nut which will retain its locked engagement with the bolt irrespective of enga ement with the load surface. The reason or this is that under certain conditions vwherein there is great vibration andv from other causes, the load surface recedes slightly from the nut even though thel nut may,initially have been screwed tightl against it. For this reason I prefer to malie the metal of my nut such that when the wings are restored or depressed they will take a permanent set, that is, they will not springfback should the load surface recede. Hence my nut having been once firmly locked will retain this locked position until forcibly removed by means of a wrench.

lA nut lock which may be ever so tightly locked at one point or side will, when subjected to incessant jarring or vibration, iinally work its wayoff the bolt. This results from the fact that as the nutis locked only at one place there is a large free portion of the nut which is setin movement and which thereby creates forces acting to shift the position of the lock point. In my nut the wings being alternately disposed and oppositely arranged, the locking forces are equally eective on each side of the bolt. This alternate, opposite arrangement of the locking Wings gives a certain balancing stability to the nut which prevents that tendency to jar loose which is found innuts locked only at a single point or side. The wings are arranged with the free ends following the direction of rotation in screwing the nut on the bolt. The possibility of scoring the load surface is thereby minimized and the inal setting of the nut facilitated.

It is evident that my nutlock as described attains the objects set forth in the opening of the specification, but I do not Wish to limit my invention to the specific form and relative proportions of the parts shown because such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims may be made.

distort the bolt vshaped recesses an Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent:

` 1. Acne-piece locknitfhaving a threaded bolt hole and two centrally arranged winglike portions disposed on opposite sides respectively of the nut and flaring away from the load end of the nut in opposite directions, said wing-like members carrying portions of regularly formed threads and being adapted tobe depressed for the purpose of locking the nut upon the bolt.

2. Acne-piece lock nut having a bolt hole and two oppositely disposed win members centrally arranged on opposite sides respectively of said" hole and gradually flaring away from the end of the nut said boit hole being threaded, said locking wings carrying portions of regularly formed threads and being adapted by engagement with a load surface to be restored to substantially pre- 4. A one-piece lock nut of substantially` standard nut size comprising a body portion and a locking portion at the loadl end thereof, said locking portion consisting of two oppositely positioned wing-like members arranged at opposite sides respectivel of the nut and extending '1n the general irection of the adjacent side and flaring gradually away from the body in opposite directions, a threaded bolt hole through the entire nut formed after the formation of the locking wings, said locking wings adapted by engagement with a loadsurface to be moved to substantially preformed position, as and for the purpose specified. p

5. A one-piece lock nut of substantially standard nut size comprising a body portion and a locking portion, a bolt hole being formed in both' portions, said locking portion comprising two relatively thin oppositely ositioned wing-like members, flaring away rom the body, the inner portions of the wings throughout their Whole length serving to define a portion of the bolt hole, said locking wings being spaced from the body of the nut b substantially wedgesaid bolt hole being threaded after the formation of the wings.

6. A one-piece lock nut comprising a body portion and a relatively small locking portion, a bolt hole through both portions, said locking portion comprising two oppositely positioned centrally arranged and alternately disposed locking wings of less than nut side length, said locking wings bounding a partof the bolt hole, and being spaced from the bod portion of the nut 4by substantially wedy substantially of knife edge width where` the wings join the body, said bolt hole being threaded subsequent to theformation of the wings and said wings being adapted by engagement with the load surface to be restored to substantially preformed position and to lock the nut in position on the bolt irrespective of continued engagement with the load surface.

7. A one-piece lock nut comprising a body portion and a relativel small lockmg portion, a bolt hole throug .both portions, said locking portion comprising two centrally arge shaped recesses which are .t

ranged oppositely positioned locking win of less than bolt hole diameter, flaring gra ually away from the body portion forming a substantially wedge shaped recess therewith and being substantially tangential t0 the body portion at their juncture therewith, the free ends of the locking wings extending in opposite directions, said body portion and locking wings being threaded after the formation voir' the locking wings and the locking wings being adapted by forceful engagement with the load surface to be depressed and thereby to lock the-nut upon a bolt against undesired rotation.A

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 28th, dayl of September, 1912, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE E. MAHER. Witnesses:

EDWARD F. Wilson, JOHN R. LEFEVRE. 

